Blog
All of us tend to get behind on the little things that need to be done around the house but when you are going to sell the house, and have open houses, you no longer can procrastinate and must get to work to get your South Bay Home where it looks appealing. OUTSIDE: Keep the grass cut and flower beds trimmed, remove all yard clutter. Weed flower beds, and replace dead plants with new ones. Apply fresh paint to wooden fences, and make any fence repairs needed. Tighten and clean all door handles, including screen doors. Clean windows inside and out, and the screens also. Powerwash home's exterior, touch up paint or re do paint if necessary. Ensure all gutters and downspouts are firmly attached and functioning. Clean or paint the front door, and railing too if needed. Buy a new welcome mat. Put a large fern or plant at the front entrance. INSIDE: Review the furniture arrangement in each room, get rid of any old clutter. Clean and organize cabinets, closets and bookshelves. Clean all light fixtures and ceiling fans, and shampoo the carpets, wax floors. Remove excessive wall hangings and knick-knacks and personal pictures. Repair all plumbing leaks, including faucets and drain traps, and make any minor repairs that needs to be done. This includes replacing worn door and cabinet knobs. Clean or paint walls and ceilings. Replace broken tiles and fix or replace old or discolored grout. Replace worn counter tops. FOR AN OPEN HOUSE OR SHOWING: Turn on all the lights, and open all window coverings and shutters during the daytime. Put new towels in bathrooms and new bedding in the bedrooms. Set the dining room table so it looks elegant and inviting. Keep pets secured outdoors, away from any potential buyers. Replace old lamps or lampshades. Light the fireplace and be sure the ashes have been cleaned out. Play quiet background music, not rock and roll or hip hop. Place some fresh fruit on the counter in kitchen, or some apple scents or vanilla scents. Be sure that the property is vacated by everyone in the family during an open house. Read More
Selling your home or any real estate can be complex and sticky at times. That is why you have a real estate professional working with you side by side to help and give advise. Should you find yourself in a sticky situation, alert your real estate agent or broker, so he or she can address and remedy the problem right away. When your South Bay REALTOR or broker puts your home on the market, generally all of the promotional materials will state clearly to not contact the homeowner, but potential buyers agents are to contact your agent, broker or REALTOR. However, sometimes a buyer's agent will contact the seller directly to try to either win over their business, or cut the seller's agent out of the deal. This is not reputable or acceptable behavior and you should report it to your agent, broker or Realtor immediately if it happens to you. When you sell your home, it necessitates all kinds of new purchasing decisions and less-than-ethical vendors are keenly aware of this. Though MLS organizations enforce rules on how posted information is used, some companies have found ways to cull information from various sources to produce mass mailing lists. If you find yourself regularly emptying your mailbox of junk, let your agent know. People see yard signs, internet listings and other advertisements on your home and some potential buyers, especially first time buyers, will be so excited to see your home, they will just drop by and interrupt your schedule. If this happens to you, no matter how nice these unexpected visitors are, it's best not to encourage their enthusiasm by discussing your home or anything about it, or giving an type of tour. Instead, you must let them know that your real estate agent, or broker is in charge of scheduling tours and then you provide them with the agent's contact information. If you attempt to handle these surprise visits on your own, you might disclose some information that could hurt you during negotiations down the road. Read More
Few people know about the great sightseeing tours that are available for residents and visitors who want to see all of the great things to do in the South Bay. Sightseers Dream tour is the lowest priced airplane tour which whirls you around the beaches and ports of Los Angeles’ South bay. This tour is about a 25-minute flight and costs $89.00 per person. The USA Gateway Tour is the lowest priced Helicopter tour which acquaints you with San Pedro and the Port of Los Angeles, and lasts about 15-25 minutes and costs $99.00. The Deluxe Champagne Tour is an airplane tour which covers all the sites of L.A. while sippin’ on champagne! The best bang for your buck. This is about a 55 minute flight, and costs $129.00. The Hollywood Strip Tour A Helicopter whirl around the famous tourist spots such as The Walk of Fame, Hollywood Hills and Hollywood Strip. An aprrox. 15-30 minute flight, $140.00. Beach Cities Flight Helicopter tour of L.A.’s breathtaking coast and hidden gems of Palos Verdes and the South Bay. An approx 30-min flight, cost $149.00. The LA Tour See the City of Angels in our flight covering a little bit of everything. An approx 25-min flight, and costs $165.00. Celebrity Homes Tour Our Most Popular Helicopter Tour. Be part of The Paparazzi and “in the know” as we reveal what’s behind the gates of the rich & famous. An approx. 35 minute flight, $189.00. The Original Night Tour Hover the LA skyline during this nightime Helicopter flight where you get to navigate. An approx. 40-minute flight, $219.00. The VIP Grand Tour Our Most-Recommended Helicopter Tour. See the beach cities, the celebrity homes, and downtown all in one lengthy grand tour! An approx 55- minute flight. $269.00. Deluxe Night Tour – Premium Package “The Coolest Thing You Can Do In LA”. Sip on Champagne …. land at a restaurant… then we drive you home. An all-inclusive night and the perfect date for any occasion. An approx 40- minute flight. $299.00. For more information and details for each tour call*** Celebrity Helicopters, Inc., 961 West Alondra Blvd. Compton,CA 90220 (877) 999-2099 tel | (877) 999-2099 fax www.celebhell.com Read More
The city of Torrance has without a doubt, some of the most unique and beautiful residential areas of any other city in the Los Angeles area. You can find upscale estate type single family homes, more traditional homes in traditional all American neighborhoods, sitting on tree lined streets, hillside homes... Read More
One of the best kept secrets in the South Bay is the Hollywood Riviera section of Torrance and the 'way back' connection to Hollywood. Homes in the area are located on the slopes of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and many have incomparable coastline views. There are 180-degree views that can include the ocean, beaches, mountains and city lights of numerous cities across the Los Angeles basin! This is the city of Torrance, but it's zip code is that of Redondo Beach. The area is located between Redondo Beach and Palos Verdes Estates and extends the city boundaries to the ocean where the County owns and operates a lifeguard tower and a parking lot at the shoreline. The residents of Hollywood Riviera are part of the award winning Torrance school district. Hollywood.jpgAerial view of the Hollywood Riviera Beach Club taken on July 27, 1930. Back when the original developer first had the thought about building homes in the area now called Hollywood Riviera, his idea was to get the then Hollywood trend setters and stars to consider this area to live in and grow from there. Today, the 'Riviera' has wonderful older traditional single family homes, condominiums, town homes, and even some apartments, especially down the hill closer to PCH and to the beach south of Riviera Village. Riviera Village has retail shops, specialty shops, restaurants, coffee cafes, grocery stores, medical and professional services and other offices and services. In summary, there are Hollywood Rivera homes with spectacular ocean views, and homes that are situated on hilly, quiet rural-like streets. Housing prices will vary according to location, size, age, etc., and offer prices to fit just about all budgets. There is something for everyone in the Hollywood Riviera, including peace, privacy and much seclusion if that is what you are looking for in a home. Read More
Downtown " Old Torrance " is still one of the South Bays best kept secret places for many who live here and for those out of towners too. In the early 1900s, what is known today as Old Town Torrance was the hub of all shopping and hub for travel for the entire South Bay area. In those days when you wanted to go somewhere fast, you would hop on a "Red Car", and take it to downtown Torrance for your shopping needs, or go on into Los Angeles or other cities for just about anything you wanted. The "Red Car" was part of the advanced rail system that centered in L.A. and had spurs that linked with just about every major city in Southern California. That was long before the freeway system that we have today. In fact, it was the freeway system that ended the long life of the Red Car Lines and all of the fast rail connection system that Los Angeles used for years and years, and, very successfully too. Today we seem to be returning to an almost identical rail system that we had in place way back in the early 1900s. Residents of all the beach cities would come to Torrance on the Red Car to do most of their shopping and Torrance was then the center of all of the activity in the South Bay. Today, Torrance draws thousands to it's now famous "Torrance Antique Street Faire" which is open on the 4th Sunday of each month, drawing almost 200 street vendors to the city to sell their goods. Vendors with antiques, collectibles, arts & crafts and/or quality used merchandise are welcome. This Street Faire draws people from all over Southern California to Downtown Torrance each month, and has consistently been voted 'The Best in the South Bay' by the Daily Breeze newspaper's annual reader's poll. The Street Faire opens to the public from 8 AM to 3 PM, with an appraisal booth that opens at 9AM until 1PM. Rain or shine, the Street Faire will go on regardless of weather conditions. Read More
The Torrance Rose Float Association is having a weekly fundraiser. So if you are hungry on Thursday night, check out the link and see which restaurant you can go to and make a donation to TRFA! http://www.torrancerosefloat.com/fundraising.html Read More
According to Deborah Crowe of the Los Angeles Business Journal, The Federal Realty Investment Trust bought a controlling interest in Plaza El Segundo, a 381,000-square-foot retail property at the northeast corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue in El Segundo. The Trust also bought an adjacent, vacant 8.1-acre property for future development. Read More
Our award winning float Had the time of my life riding on the Torrance Float at the Rose Parade. It was an honor. ... Read More
123rd Tournament of Roses Parade | City of Torrance’s 58th entry | “Looking Back – Moving Forward” Riding on this year’s Rose Parade float will be Torrance City Councilman Gene Barnett and his wife, Linda (former City Treasurer); Torrance City Clerk, Sue... Read More